If you ask people what they think the Arab world needs most right now, they’ll almost certainly say, “Um, probably its own zombie comedy.” And prominent Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy’s Fortress Film Clinic is doing exactly that, by backing the delightfully titled Zombie Gozombie, according to Variety. The film was written by Egyptian cartoonist and screenwriter Kafr al-Sheikh, a.k.a. Andeel, whose “satirical work has gained prominence since Egypt’s 2011 revolution.” Zombie Gozombie will be directed by Ahmad Adballa, a versatile filmmaker known for, among other things, a movie called Microphone about Egypt’s hip-hop scene.
Zombie Gozombie is about a zombie outbreak during a soccer match between a so-so local club and a top Egyptian team. Hopefully, the players will knock off some zombie heads with slow-motion bicycle kicks, but Hefzy notes that the movie won’t be all fun and games. He explains:
Ahmad Abdalla in my opinion never makes a movie just for the sake of being funny or entertaining. He’s always the kind of director who has his voice in the story. This film is more than it just seems: there is something slightly political about a zombie movie coming out of the Middle East today, even though he is trying to hide that.
Well, thanks to Hefzy, Abdalla can’t hide it anymore, but hopefully those in the Arab world who don’t want to see anything subversive will still be taken with the film’s comedy, or at least that terrific title. Just typing it a few times has made our entire day better. Once more: Zombie Gozombie.